Asiki, G., Wanjohi, M.N., Barnes, A. orcid.org/0000-0002-8122-9792 et al. (7 more authors) (2020) Benchmarking food environment policies for the prevention of diet-related non-communicable diseases in Kenya: National expert panel’s assessment and priority recommendations. PLoS ONE, 15 (8). e0236699. ISSN 1932-6203
Abstract
Introduction: Unhealthy food environments drive the increase of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Objective: We aimed to examine healthy food environment policies in Kenya and identify priorities for future action.
Methods: Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) we collected evidence on the extent of government action to create healthy food environments across 13 policy and infrastructure support domains and 43 related good practice indicators between 2017 and 2018. A panel of 15 national experts rated the extent of government action on each indicator compared to the policy development cycle and international best practice respectively. Based on gaps found, actions to improve food environments in Kenya were identified and prioritized.
Results: In the policy development cycle, 16/43 (37%) of good practice policy indicators were judged to be in ‘implementation’ phase, including: food composition targets, packaged foods’ ingredient lists/nutrient declarations; systems regulating health claims; restrictions on marketing breast milk substitutes; and school nutrition policies. Infrastructure support actions in ‘implementation’ phase included: food-based dietary guidelines; strong political support to reduce NCDs; comprehensive NCD action plan; transparency in developing food policies; and surveys monitoring nutritional status. Half (22/43) of the indicators were judged to be ‘in development’. Compared to international best practice, the Kenyan Government was judged to be performing relatively well (‘medium’ implementation) in one policy (restrictions on marketing breast milk substitutes) and three infrastructure support areas (political leadership; comprehensive implementation plan; and ensuring all food policies are sensitive to nutrition). Implementation for 36 (83.7 %) indicators were rated as ‘low’ or ‘very little’. Taking into account importance and feasibility, seven actions within the areas of leadership, food composition, labelling, promotion, prices and health-in-all-policies were prioritized.
Conclusion: This baseline assessment is important in creating awareness to address gaps in food environment policy. Regular monitoring using Food-EPI may contribute to addressing the burden of diet-related NCDs in Kenya.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Asiki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > School of Health and Related Research (Sheffield) > ScHARR - Sheffield Centre for Health and Related Research |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL MR/P025153/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2020 15:21 |
Last Modified: | 10 Aug 2020 15:53 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0236699 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:163595 |